Latest news with #India-origin
Scroll.in
13 hours ago
- Business
- Scroll.in
Meghnad Desai, Indian-origin economist, dies at 85
Meghnad Desai, an India-origin economist and a member of the United Kingdom's House of Lords, passed away on Tuesday. He was 85. Born in Gujarat's Vadodara, Desai studied economics at the University of Mumbai before completing his PhD in economics at the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote and edited more than 20 books, along with over 200 articles for academic journals. Desai's early works focused on the Marxian way of thought, including his first book Marxian Economic Theory (1973), which was followed by Applied Econometrics (1976) and Marxian Economics (1979). In 1981, he wrote a critique on monetarism, an economic theory that emphasises the role of money supply in influencing economic activity and price levels. In 2014, Desai wrote the book Who Wrote The Bhagavadgita? He argued that some themes in the Hindu text 'reinforce social inequality and lack of concern for the other and to that extent he finds Gita to be toxic '. Desai taught at the London School of Economics from 1965 to 2003 and later became an emeritus professor. He was also a member of the House of Lords and a leader of the Labour Party. He served as the chairperson of the party between 1986 and 2002 and received the title of Baron in the City of Westminster in 1991. Desai resigned as a member of the Labour Party in 2020 over its alleged failure to tackle antisemitic racism within its ranks. In 2008, Desai was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to Desai's family and described him as a 'distinguished thinker, writer and economist'. Modi said on social media that the economist always 'remained connected to India and Indian culture' and played a role in deepening India-UK ties. 'Will fondly recall our discussions, where he shared his valuable insights,' the prime minister added. Anguished by the passing away of Shri Meghnad Desai Ji, a distinguished thinker, writer and economist. He always remained connected to India and Indian culture. He also played a role in deepening India-UK ties. Will fondly recall our discussions, where he shared his valuable… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 29, 2025
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Elon Musk's shoutout to Sundar Pichai's 'impressive' milestone sparks buzz: 'Cooking something together'
Tech titans Elon Musk and Sundar Pichai had a wholesome exchange on X, sparking collab buzz, after Alphabet CEO Pichai shared a milestone moment and got a nod of respect from Musk. In a post, Pichai talked about a decade of Alphabet. 'Just got off the earnings call - great quarter and it was our (and my) 40th call as Alphabet. August will mark 10 years since we announced Alphabet. Been thinking about the incredible growth in our new businesses since then - Cloud, YouTube, Play, Subscriptions etc," he wrote. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla CEO Elon Musk had a wholesome exchange on X.(AFP, File) The India-origin CEO shared that in 2015, all of Alphabet's revenue added up to $75 billion, but now, a decade later, YouTube and Cloud alone ended 2024 at $110 billion. As thousands congratulated Pichai on the milestone, a one-word salute from Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stood out. 'Impressive," Musk replied. Pichai also responded with a low-key gesture, sharing a folded hands emoji to acknowledge Musk's compliment. Many social media users praised the interactions, speculating if the bonhomie meant that the two tech titans were hinting at a collaboration. "What's this newfound bonhomie? Is there any possibility of xAI and Google working together on something?" asked one of them. "Future collaboration?" asked another, while a third added: "I'm waiting for that Sundar and Elon collaboration." "You're hitting each other with compliments, which makes us think you're both cooking something together," read a comment.
News18
20-07-2025
- Business
- News18
Indian-Origin Trapit Bansal, Hammad Syed Among 44 Picked For Meta's Superintelligence Unit
A total of 44 people from varied origins were part of the new elite division called Meta Superintelligence. Meta has reportedly been poaching the employees of other AI research companies like OpenAI, Google Deepmind, Anthropic and AI startups to build this elite team. Several reports stated that Meta is likely paying between $10-$100 million per year to these 44 people in the elite team. 2 Indians Among 44 Members Team 2 India-origin were part of the Meta's Superintelligence team. Other than Trapit Bansal, Hammad Syed also joined the elite team as a software engineer. Who Is Hammad Syed? Hammad Syed is the Co-Founder and CEO of according to his LinkedIn profile, a leading AI voice generation platform that helps users create realistic, human-like speech from text using advanced AI models. With a strong focus on synthetic media, serves thousands of content creators, developers, and businesses worldwide. Hammad has a background in technology and entrepreneurship. He pursued his education at Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology in Bangalore, India, as per Crunchbase. Who Is Trapit Bansal?
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
Seven brands account for 1 in 7 US FDA refusals of Indian food, drug, cosmetic shipments
Seven domestic manufacturers – Haldiram, Sun Pharma, Nestlé, Cipla, Patanjali, Hindustan Unilever, and Himalaya Wellness – account for one in seven (14 per cent) of all India-origin shipments refused entry into the United States by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since October 2020. As of early July, the US FDA has refused 4,089 India-origin shipments in the ongoing US fiscal year 2025 (October 2024 to September 2025) – already exceeding the 3,648 refusals recorded in all of FY24, according to data from the top public health regulator. Haldiram Snacks Food – in which Singapore's Temasek acquired a 10 per cent stake earlier this year at a $10 billion valuation – recorded the highest number of US FDA refusals, with 731 shipments containing Haldiram-manufactured products denied entry since October 2020. Notably, 94 per cent of these rejections occurred in FY24 and the ongoing FY25, the data shows. Haldiram's refusal rate – the share of shipments denied over total shipments sent – rose to 1.7 per cent in FY24 and FY25 (till July), a sharp jump from below 0.1 per cent in FY22 and FY23 combined. The rejected consignments primarily consisted of snack foods, including fried items, flagged for alleged unsanitary manufacturing conditions and the presence of salmonella, a disease-causing pathogen. Haldiram and Temasek did not respond to requests for comment. Nestlé noodles flagged for unsafe additives, mislabelling In the food products category, which accounts for 55 per cent of all US FDA refusals since October 2020, Haldiram was followed by Nestlé India, with 300 shipments rejected. Most of the consignments contained Nestlé-manufactured noodles, and were refused entry for misbranding, mislabelling, or containing unsafe additives or filth. Nearly two-thirds of these rejections occurred in FY24 and the ongoing FY25, with Nestlé recording a refusal rate of 25 per cent – more than five times the 4 per cent in FY22 and FY23. While the US FDA data lists Nestlé India as the firm behind these consignments, a company spokesperson told The Indian Express that these exports were not made by Nestlé India and that no refusals have been recorded in the recent past. The refusal rate of all food consignments from India stands at 0.32 per cent in FY25, up from 0.15 per cent in FY22. Sun Pharma, Cipla face FDA heat In the drugs and biologics category, Sun Pharma led with 335 shipment rejections since October 2020 – mostly for exporting unapproved drugs or failing to meet good manufacturing standards. Its refusal rate between FY22 and the ongoing FY25 stands at 1.8 per cent. In June 2025, the US FDA issued a warning letter to Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd over 'significant violations' of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for finished drugs. The letter followed a December 2023 inspection of the company's Dadra facility, which found that some exported products were adulterated due to non-compliance with CGMP norms. Sun Pharma is followed by Cipla, which has recorded 244 rejections since October 2020, primarily for exporting unapproved drugs. Cipla's refusal rate between FY22 and the ongoing FY25 stands at 1.5 per cent. In November 2023, the US FDA had issued a warning letter to Cipla Ltd, too, for non-compliance with CGMP norms. The refusal rate of all drugs and biologics shipments from India has risen in recent years, from 0.7 per cent in FY22 to 1.06 per cent so far in FY25. These consignments account for 39 per cent of all refusals since October 2020, the second-largest category after food products. Sun Pharma and Cipla did not respond to requests for comment. Patanjali tops cosmetic refusals While cosmetic shipment rejections by the US FDA make up a small share – just 3 per cent, with 136 refusals so far in FY25, trailing 156 in FY24 – Patanjali Ayurved has recorded a high refusal rate of 11 per cent since FY22, data shows. Of the 548 India-origin cosmetic shipments refused since October 2020, nearly 20 per cent contained Patanjali-manufactured products – mostly shampoos, toothpastes and powders, and hair tonics. The most common reasons for rejection include the use of unsafe colour additives, unapproved ingredients, and labelling violations. In addition to cosmetics, Patanjali shipments have also faced rejections in the drugs (44) and food (35) categories. Hindustan Unilever and Himalaya Wellness have faced 51 and 54 shipment rejections, respectively, since October 2020, with refusal rates of 2.1 per cent and 1.2 per cent since FY22. Most of their consignments were flagged for containing unsafe colour additives or unapproved drugs. Hindustan Unilever also recorded 23 refusals in the food category and 8 in drugs. Patanjali, Hindustan Unilever, and Himalaya did not respond to requests for comment. The overall refusal rate for Indian cosmetic shipments rose from 0.16 per cent in FY22 to 0.48 per cent in FY24, before easing to 0.2 per cent so far in FY25. The refusal rate for India-origin shipments across all categories has climbed in recent years – from 0.21 per cent in FY22 to 0.41 per cent in FY24, before easing slightly to 0.36 per cent so far in FY25. In the ongoing US fiscal, India accounts for 17 per cent of all FDA refusals – second only to Sweden at 18 per cent. Swedish shipments, largely consisting of tobacco products, had a notably high refusal rate of 1.7 per cent. China followed with a 12 per cent share of total rejections, but its overall refusal rate was just 0.01 per cent. Aggam Walia is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, reporting on power, renewables, and mining. His work unpacks intricate ties between corporations, government, and policy, often relying on documents sourced via the RTI Act. Off the beat, he enjoys running through Delhi's parks and forests, walking to places, and cooking pasta. ... Read More
India.com
09-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
What is the connection of Apple COO Sabih Khan with Rampur and Moradabad in UP?
Apple Inc. has appointed India-origin executive Sabih Khan as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO), marking a significant step in the company's ongoing leadership transition. Khan, 58, who has been with Apple for three decades and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Operations, will take over from Jeff Williams later this month, the iPhone maker announced in a statement. Before joining Apple's procurement group in 1995, he worked as an applications development engineer and key account technical leader at GE Plastics. What Is Apple COO Connection With Uttar Pradesh? Born in 1966 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, Khan moved to Singapore during his school years before settling in the US. He holds dual bachelor's degrees in economics and mechanical engineering from Tufts University, and a master's in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Sabih Khan's father Saeed Ullah Khan was a resident of Rampur who had settled in Singapore decades ago. Sabih received his primary education there, after which he moved to America and received higher education from there. Sabih Khan's Career In Apple He has spent nearly three decades in key roles across the company. He rose through the ranks to become senior vice president of operations in 2019. Over the past six years, he has led Apple's global supply chain, overseeing planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and product fulfilment. He has also overseen Apple's supplier responsibility programmes that focus on worker protection, education, and environmental sustainability. Apple highlighted his pivotal contribution in 'delivering each of Apple's innovative products to market'. Williams will continue reporting to CEO Tim Cook and overseeing the design team and Apple Watch. Upon his retirement later this year, the design team will report directly to Cook. Until now, Khan served as Apple's Senior Vice President of Operations, reporting to outgoing COO Jeff Williams. He will officially step into the COO role later this month. 'Sabih is a brilliant strategist who has been one of the central architects of Apple's supply chain,' the statement quoted Cook as saying. 'While overseeing Apple's supply chain, he has helped pioneer new technologies in advanced manufacturing, overseen the expansion of Apple's manufacturing footprint in the United States, and helped ensure that Apple can be nimble in response to global challenges.' The CEO also commended Khan for advancing Apple's sustainability goals. 'He has advanced our ambitious efforts in environmental sustainability, helping reduce Apple's carbon footprint by more than 60 per cent,' Cook said. (With Inputs From PTI)
